Aaron Gwin Signs With Specialized - It's Official!

“I'm super excited to start this new chapter in my career with Specialized bicycles. The entire Specialized staff has welcomed me with open arms and I'm blown away by the level of support they've shown me. This is my dream program and I can't thank them enough for this opportunity. Bring on 2013!” - Aaron Gwin

“The combination of Aaron Gwin and the Specialized brand have an American storyline written all over it that was always meant to be. Aaron will not only bring another element to the program, but it’ll be amazing watching this trio ripping down the tracks together. We can’t wait to get started with this new exciting opportunity and look forward to the season ahead.” - Sean Heimdal, Team Manager

“I’m stoked to have a new teammate this year, it will be a fresh start and I will be able to learn a lot of things from Aaron. The season starts late this year and will give everyone time to get to know each other and do testing on the Bike. I cannot wait to work together and smash out runs!” - Troy Brosnan

“We are really excited to have Aaron on board. He has a lot of interest in product development, advocacy, junior development, and so do we. We are looking forward to a very successful future together.” - Geoff Rogers, Specialized Sports Marketing

About Specialized: Specialized Bicycle Components was founded in 1974 by riders for riders. Based in Northern California, we focus on the rider's need for functional and technically advanced products that provide a performance benefit.www.specialized.com

wtttfff dude aaron gwin signed with spesh... waattt whatt omg that came out of nowwhere i thought he loved trek and loved his bike this keeps on getting interesting now whos racing for trek is the new article ayy

WOAH WOAH WOAH GUYS! Treks sales are not going to dump..... Remember whoelse rides for them. Just to name a few...... Mccaul, Semeneuk, Rdog, and not to mention RHEEDER!!!! I am still happy to own a TREK!!!!

Monster Energy is being investigated by the FDA not to mention they're facing several wrongful death lawsuits in america from the fact each can contains the caffeine content of SEVEN coca-colas and there's improper warnings on them about the risks of drinking more than 1 can per day. A 14 year old had a heart attack and died in california after drinking two cans of the stuff. I have a caffeine addiction... so Specialized probably does not want to be associated with the Monster Energy brand any longer to minimize their exposure to future lawsuits.

I've got to be honest and say that I'm not fully convinced yet. I'm not calling bullshit, but when the top rider in the world signs with a company like Specialized, I would expect a big press release. This little video of Brosnan clicking a button and Gwin wearing a Specialized shirt.....it's a little strange.

I was thinking the same thing. Leov retired and with Gwinn leaving it leaves 1 if not 2 big holes on the Trek roster. Trek will likely now be looking to sign or poach another top rider for TWR now which means we probably haven't seem the last of the big riders changing teams. This will have a domino effect.

When your a sponcered rider during your contract your not allowed to be seen riding wearing or even talking to another bike company's brand, so i think this is a done deal because he is talking to the team manager and wearing a specialized shirt.

Not that this would happen, but I for one would love to see Trek drop the price on their sessions with the money they save on the salary and/or got from specialized in the buyout. The session is way overpriced compared to the competition and i figured it's due to their team payroll and R&D. But judging from the reaction of the race fans on here, that would not be a sustainable strategy since people seem to want to see the pros rip on a bike to prove that it goes fast.

Theres no shock really anymore because people have been talking about Gwins move for a couple weeks. You'd think there would be more about Bulldog there wasn't even any body thinking about a possible move for him.

I'm guessing they made such a simple video to announce this because they knew that they had exactly 10 seconds after the ink on the contract had dried to announce this their way, before it was leaked and all over every bike website in the world.

Well i guess Aaron Gwin showed his true colors....$$$$I thought he was great and was in it because his loved riding and wanted to win, not for the $$$$, you have let a lot of your fans down. the first time in years America has a good rider and you go and do this. WTF. I have nothing against Specialized at all, and i love there demos like most do, but for you to do this, and treat trek like this....you have let me and many others down.

I figured he was gonna leave after his contract expired, but I would never have guessed him just selling out like this. However, if this becomes a 'Redbull-Specialized' team its gonna be awesome, just saying. 'Murica!

@shawnryantyra....stop posting the same comment. You're entitled to your opinion, but Aaron is an awesome guy and awesome rider. He worked hard to get where he has, and should enjoy the rewards!! Good on you Gwin, can't wait to see this year unfold!!!!!

@shawnryantyra: Seriously??? What's wrong with him wanting to ride a new frame and possibly a better, more dedicated and intensive R&D/Team program. The Demo is a top race bike and Gwin's a top rider. I didn't see this much shit being thrown around when the Athertons left Commencal for GT... Why is it such poor treatment of Trek??? If they didn't want to let Specialized buy his contract they could have just said no... clearly they didn't. I'm stoked to see Gwin on a Demo, it's always cool to see riders on new bikes. Keeps things fresh.

gwin is not past his best, all that has happened is the same that happened with sam hill, he came in on top form and was way quicker than anyone else, then after some head scratching the rest of the world up their game, next year will be much closer contested i think, lets hope for some good racing, personally i was getting a bit fed up of a 1 horse race

He did sign a contract. Its does seem a rather ungentlemanly way to go about it, then again your colonial cousins where never known for their finesse. Without TWR support could gwin have become what he is today? Maybe, maybe not, we will never know. But the fact remains he became the worlds fastest man with TWR's Bikes, support, training programmes (which he has admitted were the biggest reason for his success 2 years back) IMO he was winning with trek never seemed unhappy with trek, why would you leave a brand who has given you such a huge step up.

Damn I really thought Specialized was over for the next season with Sam Hill leaving. I should have said that Trek World Racing is screwed especially since they also closed their XC team to concentrate on their remaining DH squad.

More to Gwin than what he makes out, he leaves Yeti, the company that actually gave him a shot at the big time and essentially made him and he leaves in a heart beat for a bigger deal and now he's breaking a previous 3 year contract with Trek?

Poor trek. Can't get their house in order. Had to kick 7 time tour de drug cheat to the kerb, now losing Gwin, and no xc team? Ouch. Maybe they have a short term future with continental riders racing enduro on a scratch or remedy? That might be the only card they have left to play. Patch up Leov, get him fit and get him racing in Europe.

Oh that's getting messy. It seems like a bad trick from Gwin, the only open question is: is it legal? Whitley says no, in the mean time he said they signed a "Letter of Intention". What does this legally imply? (and we know Whitley can play with words like when they made the post-World Champ press release pretty much saying the World Champ means nothing...) I guess Aaron Gwin's Lawyer knows better than us... Looks like Gwin clearly f*cked TWR. Moral? No. Legal? Looks like it. We'll see what the justice says. Just hope there's no more mess when the World Cup starts.

Gwin will be disappointed in the Demo, just like SamHill was. It's not as responsive at pedaling so he will lose time to Minnar at the start and in every pedal section.
The chainstays on the Demo are too short for the current World Cup tracks, which are more wide open than ever. Once the rear wheel starts to wash out it doesn't stop cause the chainstays are so short there isn't enough pressure to keep the tire in contact, especially in off-camber or flat corners. Just watch Brosnan's crash at World's.
I also don't think he is going to be stoked to ride SRAM and RockShox instead of Shimano and FOX. It will all take some time to get used to at best, worse case is that he is slower on slightly inferior equipment.
This move had to have happened because of more money, he was in a good situation at Trek since he had just resigned. His results might suffer but his bank account won't. Makes the season alot more interesting.

Couple things there Protour. No one is really arguing the fact that the Demo isn't a World Cup proven bike really....it is.
Also, the contract states that he is supported by Specialized for frames and tires only, so he'll still be running Fox and Shimano.

Protour you need a blog. Your posts are great. I have to say you have a couple points. The Demo is quite different and I guess we will find out if it's as capable of dominating the field like the Trek was under Gwin. You can be sure of one thing, if Gwin needs longer stay's he will get them. They will build him whatever he needs. So that to will be very interesting. How much will he wish to alter the Demo if at all? How big of a role does Gwin's steed play? We will find out. Interesting season indeed.

It doesn't matter if it only a Letter of Intent, that can still be legally binding depending on what it says. I mean if it didn't mean anything why would they have even bothered with it?

In general, what signing the letter of intent means is he committed to ride for Trek for 3 more years, and that enough of the details had been agreed upon for him to commit to that and he backed out. It could also contain provisions that he's not allowed to negotiate with another team, which he clearly did.

I mean lets be honest, hes not going back to Trek. That wouldn't be awkward or anything? Trek will likely push and ultimately settle on something monetarily from Gwinn of Specialized and that will be that.

I can see both sides of it. Gwinn wants to do whats best for him, but Trek for their sake and the sake of all other teams really, needs to put its foot down in some respect, otherwise these contracts and agreements become worthless.

Protour hit on the head, this will make the season more interesting! Looks like everyone else has been thinking the same thing as I have... Gwins move is going to prove his dominance is skill more than bike... unless he loses races... then we will all know... I wonder if Trek will sell more Sessions if Gwin doesnt win any races on the Demo... and then it will come out this was a marketing ploy by Trek to prove the Session 9.9 is KING!

WOW, that is kind of shocking. I had no idea he'd just jumped ship and left Trek in the lurch aye... I just assumed it was like every other sporting contract and he'd decided to move teams. I'm still very excited to see him on a new frame/team as I think it's just more fun to see people mix it up over the years, but I stand corrected on his actions. All the best of luck tae Gwin on his new team, but it sure seems he could have been a bit more professional about how he left. That's like finding out your missus is leaving when you find a video of her banging some other bloke on the internet... Poor form aye

Yeah but from what everyone is saying, all he did was put out a letter of intention.
The worst level of professionalism that Aaron Gwin displayed is the same level of standing up a girl on a date. Sure, it's bad, it sucks, it's not the most gentleman thing you can do. But, if that Girl that you were suppose to go on a date on was all but bad news...I'm sure it's something that everyone would do. Either way, no one gets hurt, only some bad feelings but ultimately everyone moves on.

I don't see why people are so cut over this move. This is business someone always come of second best. Trek have got Brook MacDonald who has got the talent to dominate the world cup. Now on a better bike he has the platform to do this. Trek world racing could still be a big force they have some XC rider called Anton Cooper who is meant to be another next big thing.

Well i guess Aaron Gwin showed his true colors....$$$$I thought he was great and was in it because his loved riding and wanted to win, not for the $$$$, you have let a lot of your fans down. the first time in years America has a good rider and you go and do this. WTF. I have nothing against Specialized at all, and i love there demos like most do, but for you to do this, and treat trek like this....you have let me and many others down.

@shawnryantyra: the problem with SOME Gwin fans is they believed he was a pure saint... Won't come into the religious thing, but Aaron showed he is a human being, and a very good one I believe, no matter that story of which we don't know anything. Who tells you it's not Trek putting pressure on Gwin that he goes to Spesh cause Spesh was buying the contract for a super high price?

Doesn't sound like Trek is too happy about it:The last several weeks have been a very difficult period for our company as owners of the Trek World Racing program. Despite the fact that on August 9 of last year, Aaron Gwin signed a legally binding Letter Of Intent with our team for the next three seasons, his agent wrote an email to the team in mid-December stating he had decided to race for another bike brand. Mr Gwin confirmed his agreement with our team in public statements, and he and his agent repeatedly confirmed the existence of, and commitment to, the agreement in written correspondence with us. Yet, only weeks before the team was required to submit the official team roster to UCI, Mr Gwin informed the team that he was abandoning TWR in total disregard of his contractual obligations.

The team reached out on several occasions in December in order to try and remedy whatever concerns Mr Gwin had, but these were ignored until the team received a letter from his Attorneys on December 27 stating he would not ride for our team. In the interests of the team and our sponsors, we are actively pursuing all options open to us at this point, including legal action, and remain completely surprised by Mr Gwin’s unprofessional actions.

wow - I just figured Gwinn had some sort of buyout in the deal and Specialized ponied up some $$$ to get him out of it. Doesn't sound like that's the case. I realize guys need to do whats best for themselves but if this is how it played out its pretty much a scumbag move on Gwinn's part. Its one thing to leave for more money when your contract is up, but sign an extension and then bail, thats kind of low.

Suth17, the general feeling I got when Gwin left Yeti was positive. Yeti just isn't able to provide the sort of support that Trek or Specialized can. They seemed genuinely happy to see his career taking off, and proud that they showed him the ropes.

Well that's fair enough then I suppose. I suppose I'm a bit cynical when it comes to peoples motivations to change at the top level. I assume that $ are the deciding factor. If there is some merit in straight edge Gwinn leaving tarnished trek post lance, that's a different story.

I think Rachel is the most adorable thing on the planet! I don't care if she's faster then me. My first GF taught me how to ride motorcycles so Rachel being fast is no threat. It just makes her even desirable.

Scroll up to the top a little and read the post by JevinHoll to get some context. Then you'll see no offense was meant.

Well i guess Aaron Gwin showed his true colors....$$$$I thought he was great and was in it because his loved riding and wanted to win, not for the $$$$, you have let a lot of your fans down. the first time in years America has a good rider and you go and do this. WTF. I have nothing against Specialized at all, and i love there demos like most do, but for you to do this, and treat trek like this....you have let me and many others down.

The fact you guys talk about him and bring him up when he isn't even here is just proof he's won this little "game" he's been playing with all of you. Congratulations, you all fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.

All this is does, for those that still don't believe, is just further prove that money talks and is the driving force behind everything. It has nothing to do with brand loyalty, or any wanting to ride the best bike or any of that.

Look at Gwinn and the things he's said the past few seasons about how he couldn't ask for a better situation. He won 2 championships and (supposedly) had the greatest most supportive team (Trek), the greatest bike in the world (9.9), the best mechanic, the best team manager, a new three year deal with Trek etc. You'd think from a riding standpoint the guy could not have it any better, yet here you go, he jumps ship for a new team. Unless he was just lying every time he spoke the last few seasons, the only reason he would switch is money.

@sino248: It's hard for me to believe that the only option here is that he was lying. As others have stated, there are things that he should and should not be saying on and off season, but none of that gives a 100% picture into what might really be going on behind the scenes. Who knows what may have happened that caused him to change his mind.

BDKR: Yea I'm not saying he was lying either. He probably was very happy at Trek and meant alot of the things he said. I mean he did sign a contract extension with them last year. If he had designs on leaving all along it would have been easier to not do that.

My point really is that all this is just a business for these top level riders. This is their living and they will do what is best for them, which usually means taking the most money.(and there is nothing wrong with that). When news like this drops (as was the case with Hill) there is always that first reaction of "how could he leave Trek", or "they've done so much and he was so successful with them". For a guy like Gwinn, whats really the difference between all these big teams? All great bikes, great support etc. A guy like him could win on any big team. He's simply doing what is best for him.

A lot can change in the off season... I would reserve judgement about Gwin's motivations until you hear from the man himself. The TWR team is independent of Trek, so who really knows what went down? It probably has more to do with some executive level bean counter ego battle than it does with Gwin. He may have signed a letter of intent back in August, but perhaps they were giving him the run around about the actual contract terms, or changing some key aspect of the program ( mechanic, training, etc ) out from under him? I kinda doubt that it was solely about money, but that is probably icing on the cake... and he definitely deserves it.

Or maybe Gwin was pissed about what happened to his brakes at World's? Probably not. The timing of it points to the Lance Factor, Lance had lost all legitimacy by mid-December, that's when Gwin said he wanted to ride another bike brand. Perhaps he had been a Lance fan and was so disdained he no longer felt good about riding the brand.

From a legal perspective, Trek's association with Lance might help give Gwin justification for breaking his contract. Regardless, I think it would be really bad PR for Trek if they try to sue Gwin.

Protour, after thinking about it more last night I agree with your comment. It's about the only event I can as an outsider put my finger on. Given the scale of Armstrongs fraud (ie biggest scandal in sporting history and the not very nice person he appears to be) I wonder whether this was the game breaker for Gwin and his ethics and morals.

When Gwin signed with Trek he talked about how he looked up to Trek bicycles when he was a kid and Lance was wining the Tour de France, so he must have been disappointed when he found out Lance was a fraud. Makes sense he wouldn't want to ride Trek anymore.

What is going to be funny to see is Sam smash Gwin and the big S. Dont forget Sam helped develop the bike and turned it into a WC contender, Gwin really didnt have much input with the Trek, it was made before he got there. Will be intresting to see if Gwin can win on the Demo. This is kinda remanicent of the Rossi V Stoner in moto gp. Rossi "I can win on the Ducati", some how didnt happen........and Stoner smashed everyone on the Honda.

Well i guess Aaron Gwin showed his true colors....$$$$I thought he was great and was in it because his loved riding and wanted to win, not for the $$$$, you have let a lot of your fans down. the first time in years America has a good rider and you go and do this. WTF. I have nothing against Specialized at all, and i love there demos like most do, but for you to do this, and treat trek like this....you have let me and many others down.

So Gwin renewed for 3 years with Trek World Racing in August. In November, they shut down their XC team to focus completely on gravity. Now they let Specialized buy Gwin away. They just completely fucked over their World Cup DH program.

No one knows the terms of Trek's contract with Gwin. Perhaps he had signed a three year option that he could walk away from after each year. Maybe he chose to leave and sought out Specialized. Maybe he was not getting the support that he saw other teams providing their riders. Who knows? Certainly none of us. I just know that he'll be a fantastic face for the racing team.

In any event, this is a profession for all of these guys, so I wouldn't fault him if it was for more money. Perhaps his contract with Trek underpaid him relative to his fellow competitors. We just don't know. Funny that so many people are offended that people prefer more money over less money. This puts him on one of the best bikes out there and he'll still dominate.

PINKBIKE LIED TO US! "Many people have their money on World Cup crusher Aaron Gwin making the move to the the empty seat at Monster Energy - Specialized but really, how many athletes leave Red Bull? Factor in his re-signing with Trek World Racing and there is slim chance of Gwin on a Demo 8 Carbon."

When Hill left there was an interview with the Specialized team manager and he was non-comital to the Monster Energy/Specialized deal. He never said for sure that there would be a partnership with Monster and the press release just refers to the "specialized DH program". Perhaps there will be a redbull/specialized partnership announced next.

Also while rare, its not unprecedented for an athlete to leave Redbull. Shaun White left Redbull last year.

Well i guess Aaron Gwin showed his true colors....$$$$I thought he was great and was in it because his loved riding and wanted to win, not for the $$$$, you have let a lot of your fans down. the first time in years America has a good rider and you go and do this. WTF. I have nothing against Specialized at all, and i love there demos like most do, but for you to do this, and treat trek like this....you have let me and many others down.

When we spoke to Martin Whiteley, team boss of Gwin’s ex-team TWR, yesterday he told us: “Aaron Gwin signed a 3 year commitment with us, and we will be filing his name along with other team members with the UCI next week as part of our team registration process.”

Then this morning following the internet explosion, Martin Whiteley released the following statement:

The last several weeks have been a very difficult period for our company as owners of the Trek World Racing program. Despite the fact that on August 9 of last year, Aaron Gwin signed a legally binding Letter Of Intent with our team for the next three seasons, his agent wrote an email to the team in mid-December stating he had decided to race for another bike brand. Mr Gwin confirmed his agreement with our team in public statements, and he and his agent repeatedly confirmed the existence of, and commitment to, the agreement in written correspondence with us. Yet, only weeks before the team was required to submit the official team roster to UCI, Mr Gwin informed the team that he was abandoning TWR in total disregard of his contractual obligations.

The team reached out on several occasions in December in order to try and remedy whatever concerns Mr Gwin had, but these were ignored until the team received a letter from his Attorneys on December 27 stating he would not ride for our team. In the interests of the team and our sponsors, we are actively pursuing all options open to us at this point, including legal action, and remain completely surprised by Mr Gwin’s unprofessional actions.

Team Director Martin Whiteley says: “This has not been an easy time for us. In the bigger picture however I find positivity in the fact that the Trek World Racing program will continue regardless of the outcome of this dispute, as no single rider is bigger than the team as a whole. Every rider who has been on our Downhill program has had the best years of their career with us, and we will continue to bring on talented riders. The team has a history of helping riders win who had not previously won, including Aaron Gwin. It’s our intention to continue that type of record with new talent. I would personally like to acknowledge the complete support and loyalty we’ve received from our title sponsor Trek Bikes who have been unwavering in their commitment to the program since this news broke. In the interests of the fans, we hope this matter will be resolved sooner rather than later”.

Adds another dimension to the forthcoming season though, is it Trek, or is it Aarons talent alone? Reading Treks statement, they think it's their programme that put him where he is today. Will Gwin continue to dominate,?And how will Sam Hill fair with Chainreaction? I peronally cannot freaking wait. All the politics aside it's gonna be awesome!!!!!!!

I'd love to know why Gwin decided to move to Specialized, Gwin was doing great with Trek!? Part of me thinks it's to do with getting paid a lot more, but I'm still pretty confused with why he moved and why he sort of did it without letting Trek know personally. Looking forward to see what happens in the next few months and how he'll be getting on with Specialized .

i didn't buy a trek because aron gwin rode for them i didn' even hear of him till i saw some footage last year.
i bought a trek because it was the right thing to do and the trek dealer where i shop provides a very very good service and its a dam good bike i bought . aron gwin is a test pilot and a great one goo luck to him who ever he rides for .

The guys over at Bike Mag are insinuating that the news got leaked early. Kinda like the the Sam Hill move. If Gwin's a sell out, he was when he took a fat cheque to leave Yeti. But come on guys, he's a pro racer. He gets paid to do this. If someone offered you more money to do your job, you'd probably take it, right? It all comes down to the almighty buck.

So I guess this was why troy and gwin were spotted following each other during practice at Austria. Will gwin still win on a demo? Will bulldog win on the session? Will Sam get higher than 5th on the nukeproof? It's going to be good.

exactly, as far as we know there still is a Monster Energy-Specialized Team. Therefor he could not sign with specialized with out dropping redbull first. He is wearing his RedBull hat in the video with a Specialized shirt on. They're pranking us

monster-energy specialized is not going to be a team next year. troy will ride for the specialized factory team and be personally sponsored by monster, this was hinted in the last article with the interviews with nigel paige and that spec dude whose name i can't remember right now.

Could just be a joke on Treks part to pull attention away from their rival, Specialized, so that we all start talking about Trek. Seems to have worked. If not its definitely the least formal sponsorship change I have ever seen. If I was Gwin and saw that poll, It would definitely be tempting to mess with people and show internet land just how silly and gossipy we can be.

no way gwin and his lawyers are moving forward with this if aaron couldn't get out of this "letter of intent". there's probably plenty of precedent of athletes breaking much larger "real" contracts in the sports world. and for goodness sake, we haven't even heard the other half of the story. of course whitely is gonna be bitter right now.

What I know is, the only people who get actual cash out of RedBull are Vettel and Baumgartner. All the others are getting free drinks and a rental car for the year or some shit. Look on Wikipedia if you don't believe me.

It all just seems a bit strange that Sam Hill has went from one of the top sponsors, earning big money and then suddenly taken a step back into CRC, without any news of him being replaced. Then, all of a sudden, we get this little report, no big press release, a out Gwinn signing for Specialized. Hm.

A lot of crap being wrote- i bought my specialized too soon, or trek riders moaning about him leaving, who gives a f#k. Are these also the guys you see wearing replica tops pretending to be a wc rider?

Both the Trek and Specialized bikes will be awesome, they both have an abundance of top class sponsored/test riders and people who have been making top class bikes for years so no worries there.

Personally my bike doesnt have to be ridden by a top wc rider for me to enjoy riding it, as long as it suits me and im comfortable on the bike its all good.

I wish I could prop this post x10. I don't get why people care who rides what bikes. Buy a bike because you like it and it suits your needs. There are countless great bikes out there than don't even have top level teams. The idea that someone would actually go as far as selling their bike and buying a new one because a pro switched teams seems utterly ridiculous. Do people really do that???

people are not reading !!! gwin has abandoned his contract which is legaly binding,spesh didn't buy any1 out of anything (they just probably offered him a ridiculas pay check and he thinks its ok to leave...gues whan it aint...trek have said they will persue this through the courts if they need to and i dont blame them...and also its for frame and tyres ...thats it.. he keeps redbull, he keeps shimano..all i can say is very very foolish is pi$$ off 1 of the biggest names in DH racing oh and his managment aswell....dick :-/

I think the biggest consequence is probably Gwin missing world champion's title for the 3 time. Anyone see a demo winning in PMB? I mean considering Minnar on a SC V10 and Gee Atherton on a GT? Super strong pedalling guys and good pedalling bikes? Just thinking loud, sorry!

Gwin is a true American - following the American dream - no loyalty except to a fist full of dollars. And who can fault him? It's a small window in a mountain bikers life to make some good cash. Got to love the DH Shuffle!

I now think that a significant part of of Gwinns decision may have been influenced by what happened to Lance armstrong and being on the same brand and doing so well might draw the kind of attention to Gwinn that he doesn't want. Can't say I blame him!

Aron Gwin: August 2012 "I’m honored to continue my relationship with Trek Bicycles, and the Trek World Racing program,” said Aaron Gwin. “Their support has been a key part of my success over the last 2 years, and they’ve given me all the tools I need to reach my goals. I'm excited for the years ahead, and looking forward to further developing the Trek brand.”

Im not entirely happy, coz' this way it kind of looks like specialized took out the trash. Other than getting someone new or less known rider to bring up, they just got the wc champ, and gave away a less produktiv rider. Football feeling....buy the best so you dont have to do anything but give away a check. Not a good move, they should learn from Devinci ...

I was sitting in my chemistry class when I saw this and I was so surprised I shouted out WHAT really loud. Chemistry prof was like "what up?" and I'm like "Gwin's on Specialized now!" He was as surprised as me, but then the bell rang and I got myself a nice cup of lemon tea

Very big move for Gwin. Quite brave actually, he'l get a lot of stick for following what most will assume is the money. In all honesty though I cant see why Trek are so upset. This happens all the time in almost every other sport. Look at F1, those guys are being payed 10 times that of the DH guys and they jump the boat as soon as the car is crap! Fair play to Gwin, he wants to prove himself on another machine to show that its him thats smashing it, not just the bike!

Motorsport usually has a performance clause in every contract, both from the position of the team to enable get out should a driver not perform as expected, and from the position of the driver should the team not be performing as expected. The last driver to be 'bought' out of their contract was Raikkonen when Ferrari paid him to take a year out when they wanted Alonso on board for a longer term deal. In fact, the only other previous time I can recall there being serious strife was either Schumacher renaguing on his letter of intent in 1991 with Jordan Racing, or Jos Verstappen with Benetton in 94.

why would he just leave his friends at treck. he had so many. now he has to make new friends. he might even feel a little bit like alone because he wont have friends. if i were him i would ride a KONA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In terms of podium wins Specialized definiteley made the better deal with Gwin. From the selling point of view I gues they would have sold more Demos in the future if Hill would have stayed...No matter what I'm excited for the 2013 race season to kick off!!

I was hopping that specilized would not find a good rider like Aaron gwin just to see how realy good the bike is, becuase like I always say it's the rider that make's the bike specile, and not the bike it self. And if I had a trek or a demo 8, I would not sell it just becuase a specile rider left the brand, if the bike was good with sam or gwin last year, why sell it now because they left. I have a friend of mine that has a bike that does not cost one peny, and he is one of the best Maltese riders.

Its like what they did with Sam he was wining on ironhorse so they bought him and now Gwin was wining on trek so they bought him
It's just because the always want the best rider on the team it's also like this in the FMB they have soderstrom and the claw
But I carny wait to see how they will do on new bikes

I don't get it. Why are some of you puppets going to buy a Demo now? Were you really riding Sessions during the Gwin era too? Ride a brand you like because of how it rides or maybe even because you like how it looks, but to have to switch brands because a pro switches brands, well that is just being a f*cktard.

Specialized has grown to be to big of a company now that they have stopped caring about making their customers happy. So if I was Gwin I would not dare to support a company that is only in it for the money. Why not sign with Transition or intense or another smaller company?

Good thing I was wearing my full-face when I saw this because that was a HUGE blow to my head!!!
Troy better become the best rider the world has ever known. Learning from Sam and now Gwin.
I told y'all Specialized asked Sam to ride clipless. They'll just find someone who will.
Bulldog definitely on TWR now.

It will be interesting to see what happens.
I have always thought that Sam sells bikes, Aaron is stupidly fast, but he does not have the marketing power of Sam.
Results count for nothing when the bean counters look at the bottom line... profit.
I hope that Troy can stay injury free for 2013 and rock it on the Demo with AG.
2013 is more interesting than the last 10 years already!

I like the video, nice way to bust Treks nose and than shove in shit! I like it!...Welcome to the team Gwinn, Go Gwinn, Go Specialized
What poor losers trek is trying to sue, makes the way Gwinn and Specialized handled even better!
When Sam Hill left specialized, specialized created a farewell video, when a rider leaves trek, trek sues...

Trek tried to force Gwin to race the new 650b Session for 2013, but he refused. It wasn't part of the deal back in August. I was just chatting with him about it, outside the liquor store. Then, Specialized offered to pay for a sleeve for every WC round win and a full back piece for the World Champs to lure him away from Trek.

my guess is, all of these switching were done a few months back, its only now that they are letting the public know about their program since they need to finish some business. and yes, specialized could or did pay off trek to let gwin walk away. and this years DH will be one of the most exciting season to watch.

I know this is all about the money (money that Trek couldn't offer him and/or money Spec could offer him) but you'd think that Gwin wouldn't mess with a winning combination?! Wonder if he is taking Monk too?

So does this mean that Gwin is no longer sponsored by Red Bull? As correct me if I'm wrong but Specialized are with Monster aren't they? If not, one thing for sure is that Specialized are with Monster more than they are with Red Bull. I can't imagine Red Bull being happy with him moving to a Monster supported team... ?

I'm actually happy about this, I think he'll look a lot less boring on the Specialized. One thing Specialized are missing is a UK rider, I really think they could do with young rider to promote the brand in the UK such as Greg Williamson or Adam Brayton. Just a thought... Having said that this might still happen as they haven't announced the full team yet

If Specialized had to pay a lot to buy out gwin's contract, that might mean the Sam Hill move was also influenced by them not having the funds to retain him. Sam's not about to take a pay cut so they can hire another big name afterall...

Buying out a contract requires negotiation and some sort of meeting taking place. Yet TWR seem shocked by this move. Any coincidental money savings or money for a buyout will be used to satisfy and potential monetary penalties levied against Aaron Gwin paid by specialized for him. Letter of Intent is NOT a contract but can provide somewhat of a legal basis for a company to week compensation to mitigate their losses. Gonna be an interesting next couple weeks.

W.T.F I know there was loads of talk about this but i never thought it would actually come off, big props to specialized for pulling that off.
Thank god i already own a demo the price just went through the roof

IGwin signed a three year deal with Trek but just maybe it was more than Trek can afford to pay him right now. Trek could very well be financially hurting with this whole Lance Armstrong mess. If Lance confesses like the reports are claiming there will be alot of people and companies brought to their knees which will hurt some pockets out there. The economy is in very poor shape and not showing signs of recovery anytime soon so who know what may have transpired since the three year was announced.

I guess Aron will be the black sheep of the team because he will only be supported for frames and tires according to vitalmtb...So I guess we will see his bikes with shimano/fox components and he is still with Red Bull.

twr is screwed, forst they lost emily batty from their xc team, then t-mo, then leov retires and now gwin moves??? do they have many riders left??? or are they moving the whole circus for neko mually???

They disbanded the whole XC team... they announced that in august when they Aaron Gwin signed with them for 3 more years and they decided to switch focus strictly to gravity events. That in itself isn't unusual, many brands have done that before... it happens in cycles.

I love this. All of these changes make for a fresh and exciting atmosphere. Next years season is going to be amazing. Can't wait to see how Gwin and Hill perform on their new bikes. Will a switch to a different frame slow Gwin down at all? Will Sam be his old self on a different frame? Awesome. I am looking forward to some exciting times.

i think it is a hoax. specialized never releases anything without their name all over it, not even the Burry Stander tribute video was immune the redboxed letters and closeups of the specialized logos whenever possible

Considering that Specialized has long been bed-buddies with Fox... if Gwin is sponsored by them its not going to be a problem. Also as to shimano... if individual riders have contracts with specific brands for components, bike brands usually accept that to be able to sign the rider. Shimano would be sponsoring the individual racer, not the team.

Now that Trek revealed as number 1 steroid pushers in world cycling nobody want to support them or race for their bikes. Welcome to the family Gwin, no we on the same squad again lol. Guess what sports fans it really makes nooo diff what bike he rides you guys all in trouble when Gwin get off the chairlift. Give him a huffy or a moondraker it doesn't really matter, this is a mental game. Mechanical advantage is for the suckers that pay our paychecks.

In contemporary means, I would say that Gwin has enough thunder behind him that specialized needed on their flagship team. Not many other legends are that mobile...they are pretty static on their teams and companies and you wouldn't any of the running ups filling in Sam's shoes. Sam is a legend, and Gwin, for now, is probably one of the only contenders that could touch him in regards of a cult following amongst riders in the sport. Gwin's name may not have the legendary status behind it quite yet, but in regards to people who recognize the name and the talent, in this day and age, it really only makes sense that the big "S" would try and start a comfy contract with him... I mean they basically run the industry standards as the biggest frame company. They need a good name, and good wins/times at races.

Gwin can suck a big bag of dicks. Loyalty............pfffffffffff. I will ultimately respect what Sam did way more because he went to a smaller team looking for a change to help his riding, not his wallet. Gwin you just spit in mountain bikings face, and sure as hell don't help change your countries image as selfish and money driven. i hope your season eats a pile of shit.

aaron gwin got himself into the top 5. Seems like a lot of hate for the kid. None of us know whats going on at trek. Are trek having problems, does it have something to do with lance? Is gwin trying to distance himself from this guy? Did martin whitely build another awesome team that was completely unsustainable? Who knows. These men and women racers are risking their lives for a paycheck so if they have to make moves to get a head then go for it. There is no retirement benefits for these guys/gals and they only have a few years to get it done. Best of luck to you aaron gwin. This was completely shocking news.

Another press release happened in october, and 3 days ago there was a press-release on MBA's website about Royal clothing signing with trek world racing till 2015, and Trek being the only team they'd sponsor because they had riders like gwin....

Monkey did't mess up his brakes, it was a fatigue failiure, and both Gwin and Monkey visited the Shimano HQ to find out what went wrong! So Monkey is stil one of the best and deffenatley the biggest mechanic out there!

I was hopping that specilized would not find a good rider like Aaron gwin just to see how realy good the bike is, becuase like I always say it's the rider that make's the bike specile, and not the bike it self. And if I had a trek or a demo 8, I would not sell it just becuase a specile rider left the brand, if the bike was good with sam or gwin last year, why sell it now because they left. I have a friend of mine that has a bike that does not cost one peny, and he is one of the best Maltese riders.

After he's just committed to another team? Yep that's a sell out or a clever bastard! It happens in the UK on our football teams all the while and its not that welcomed, fans see it as the guy has lost many passion for the sport when they turn there back on the team / club that made them and move for a bigger pay check

More like an athlete that realises his time in the sport is limited, and needs to make the most of the opportunities that present themselves. Why not go where the money is and earn it while he can, retirement can merely be a crash away. Most people who don't like athletes who swap teams shouldn't judge until they are good enough to be put in that position themselves ( in all likely hood they will never be at that level).